You are here

Klinikum Wels Gets a Dose of Clinical Efficiency with Imprivata

OneSign introduced to provide fast and secure access to patient data on shared and mobile devices

Munich, Germany – October 18, 2012 - Imprivata®, the leader in healthcare IT security, today announced that Klinikum Wels, a 1,300 bed hospital in Austria, is deploying Imprivata OneSign® to enhance and secure its virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) as part of a broader mobile device strategy. The project, which will eventually be rolled out across four hospital sites, has begun with 50 users in the Emergency department. Clinical workers now benefit from fast and secure access to electronic patient records as they move to different shared workstation devices in this area. With efficiency and ease-of-use a top priority for busy clinical workers, standard ID smartcards have also been deployed for second factor authentication, allowing clinicians to simply ‘tap and go’ to access their desktops with the same smartcard used to gain access to wards within the hospital.

As an innovative healthcare delivery organisation, Klinikum Wels began its Electronic Patient Records (EPRs) project in 2003 and is also piloting VMware’s virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) solution, VMware View, in a bid to improve the level of service that can be offered to patients. With so much sensitive patient data to hand, the lack of delineation between public and private space afforded by the busy hospital meant that securing shared workstations for mobile users without slowing workflows was essential. Imprivata OneSign has provided Klinikum Wels with a solution that negates the need for multiple passwords and log-ins which slow productivity and distract from care delivery, instead allowing users to simply log-on/off to their personalised roaming desktop sessions with the tap of a smartcard. This ‘No Click Access®’ has proven to be critical for physicians and nurses who need unobstructed access to patient information to make sometimes life-savinging decisions.

Over the next twelve months, the existing implementation is due to expand beyond the Emergency department to further support Klinikum Wels’ mobile strategy. Clinical workers want to utilise consumer devices in the workplace and Klinikum Wels has responded to this by arming clinical staff with laptop and tablet computers. This means clinicians can freely roam hospital wards during rounds, accessing patient files and updating information from where ever they may be. By putting critical information at their fingertips, nurses and doctors have access to information on demand and can make decisions based on this insight, instead of having to constantly go to shared workstations. Hard disk encryption and mobile device management provides the ability to wipe, lock and locate mobile computers, and to ensure that security and efficiency remains a top priority.

“Mobility in healthcare presents a totally unique set of challenges. Multiple clinical workers require very fast access to highly sensitive data on shared workstations as they move around the hospital.. Added to that, clinical workers are expecting their work environment to provide the same level of flexibility and convenience that they have become accustomed to in their use of technology at home.. They see the value and ease of use that devices like the iPad offers, and want those devices in the workplace to enable the very best care for their patients. It is my job to make that happen,” said Dr Eder, head of quality management and IT at Klinikum Wels. “With the help of Imprivata, we have already solved security and workflow challenges in our Emergency department, and we are committed to extending the project across a broad range of mobile devices in use at our sites to make life as easy as possible for our clinical users, which ultimately benefits the standard of care that our patients receive.”

“The rapid pace in open healthcare workplaces and the highly sensitive nature of patient data present a set of very unique challenges to clinical users and IT managers alike,” said Mark Clark, VP of International Sales at Imprivata. “With the rising cost of healthcare and shrinking budgets across the board, all healthcare organisations are looking at ways to improve efficiency while also improving the service on offer. With over 1300 healthcare customers globally, Imprivata has years of experience in helping customers to achieve efficiency savings without compromising on innovation.”

About Imprivata

Imprivata, the leader in healthcare IT security, enables secure access and collaboration for two million healthcare users worldwide. As the #1 independent provider of single sign-on and access management solutions for healthcare and other regulated industries, Imprivata OneSign® Single Sign-On is exclusively endorsed by American Hospital Association’s (AHA) and recognized by Gartner and KLAS. The company hospitals trust with securing their patient information now offers Imprivata Cortext®, the healthcare industry’s first free, HIPAA compliant text messaging solution designed for physicians and nurses. Headquartered in Lexington, Massachusetts, Imprivata serves 1,300 hospitals in partnership with over 200 EMR and technology infrastructure vendors around the world. For more information, please visit www.imprivata.com.